Accel World: Grey Area
by kinjun
Summary: Happening simultaneously with the events of the first five AW light novels, this story follows Gideon Aoyama, a half-Japanese, half-American high school student as he discovers a hidden world within his city and the adventures that lead into his fame within the Accelerated World.
1. 0: Reference Guide

Accel World Side Story

Legend:

ACTIVE - A duel avatar's special attack/move that can only be used once the special move gauge is filled.

INCARNATION - Within the Brain Burst system exists the possibility to OVERRIDE the system's original programming. INCARNATION is the result of using imagination to override the logic of the Accelerated World to create an attack or ability that is normally not possible (e.g. teleportation).

ORIGINATOR - A person who was given Brain Burst 2039 by the developer. Can check CHILD compatibility with a certain tool and send infinite Brain Burst 2039 invites.

PARENT - A person who has given Brain Burst 2039 to another.

CHILD - A person who has received Brain Burst 2039 from someone (PARENT).

Setting

This story takes place in the Tokyo of the near future, in 2048. Considerable advances in technology have been made. Desktop computers have albeit disappeared, having been replaced by the Neuro Linker, a horseshoe shaped device that fits snugly around the user's neck. This device interfaces with a human's brain and allows mental phone calls, FullDive virtual reality, and gives the user a virtual desktop that simply rests in the user's field of vision. In secret, a program called Brain Burst 2039 has been created which allows the user to accelerate their brainwaves 1000 times, almost stopping time. With this program, which is in essence a massively multiplayer online game, players battle for Burst Points. With these burst points one can level up (to a maximum of 10). Only six burst linkers have reached level 9, and they are known as the Six Kings of Pure Color because of it. Each King controls a legion that claims a certain color and region of Tokyo. This story focuses on the Burst Linkers who do not associate with specific factions, but instead individuals who are changing the Accelerated World on their own.

Characters

NO LEGION

Name: Gideon Aoyama (青山ギデオン)

Gender: M

DoB: 6/1/2032

Avatar: VOID RONIN

Level: 7

Special Ability: VOID JUMP (ACTIVE), SPACE-TIME MANIPULATION (INCARNATION) || SINGULARITY (INCARNATION)

Bio: Half-Japanese, Half-American, legal citizen of both Japan and the United States. Grew up in a normal household, however was not given the attention a normal child usually receives after returning to Japan. Mental scars caused by this neglect produce a unique duel avatar with abilities previously thought impossible. Second year high school student. Boyfriend of Hatsumi Yukimura. Burst Linker for just over one year. User of ENHANCED ARMAMENTs MURASAME and INFINITY CLOAK. Taking after both his PARENT and avatar name, VOID RONIN does not follow a specific faction/king. CHILD of Hatsumi Yukimura/GREY GHOST.

Name: Hatsumi Yukimura (雪村はつみ)

Gender: F

DoB: 6/22/2031

Avatar: GREY GHOST

Level: 7

Special Ability: POSSESION (ACTIVE), INTANGIBILITY (INCARNATION)

Bio: Student council president. Third year/senior high school student. PARENT and girlfriend of Gideon. Gideon and Hatsumi have been dating since their first and second years of junior high school respectively. Hatsumi has been a Burst Linker for about a year before revealing the existence of the game to Gideon. As her name suggests, GREY GHOST does not associated with any specific faction/king; she falls within a grey area. PARENT to Gideon Aoyama/VOID RONIN. PARENT unknown.

Name: Christina Aoyama (青山クリスチナ)

Gender: F

DoB: 1/30/2034

Avatar: ROUGE ARROW

Level: 6

Special Ability: DIVINE RAIN (ACTIVE)

Bio: Half-Japanese, Half-American. Dual citizenship of USA and Japan. Younger sister of Gideon by 2 years. Third year junior high school student. Like her brother, she has been neglected by their parents. However, it doesn't seem to have affected her in the same way as her brother. Practices kyūdo (Japanese archery) at school. Expert marksman; long-range specialist. Duel avatar appears as a shrine maiden in typical white and red clothing. User of ENHANCED ARMAMENT called ROSE'S THORN (bow that enhances ROUGE ARROW's special ability). With DIVINE RAIN, Member of PROMINENCE. PARENT unknown.

Name: Jiro Ohtomo (大友じろ)

Gender: M

DoB: 4/25/2032

Avatar: BLUE DEMON

Level: 5

Special Ability: ? (ACTIVE)

Bio: First person to befriend Gideon when he returns to Japan as a child. Both Jiro and Gideon live in the same apartment building and have attended kindergarten, elementary, and middle school together. Second year high school student. Jiro's duel avatar appears to be outfitted in black armor that closely resembles a shinobi's shozoku. However, his head/helmet (blue) is that of the oni (Japanese demon). PARENT unknown. Burst Linker for unknown amount of time. PARENT of Chiaki Takayama/?.

Name: Chiaki Takayama (高山ちあき)

Gender: F

DoB: 8/14/2032

Avatar:

Level: 3

Special Ability: ? (ACTIVE)

Bio: Grew up with Jiro and is his childhood friend. Meets Gideon in middle school and the three become famous for their frequent misadventures. Eventual girlfriend of Jiro Ohtomo. At school Chiaki is a well behaved, albeit clumsy, schoolgirl, but anywhere else she is a rambunctious tomboy. Due to lack of trust from parents, friends, and teachers, a significant mental scar was formed. Youngest captain of AkiHS volleyball team in previous decade. CHILD of Jiro Ohtomo/BLUE DEMON.


	2. 1: Prologue

**Prologue **

A sharp beeping woke Gideon up from a deeper sleep than usual. Before even opening his eyes, the 16 year old high schooler instinctively found the source of the beeping whilst flopping his still half-asleep arms. Still face down in his pillow, he reluctantly flipped over to his back and opened his eyes. Thin streaks of light streamed in from the small spaces around his bedroom window that was not blocked by the shade. The ancient analog clock that sat on the nightstand beside his bed read 6:30.

'I have to be at school by 7:50 before homeroom at 8:00,' Gideon thought as he contemplated how to start his day and morning commute.

After a brief moment to himself, Gideon sat up, still half under the covers of his bed, and uncontrollable rubbed his neck; it was always strange feeling skin there. Without something there he felt a bit off for some reason, somewhat free even, but alas, daily life is impossible without the technology that was missing from his neck. Next to the analog clock was a dark, durable metal dock on which lay a horseshoe shape gray electronic device. Taking a deep breath, Gideon reached for the device and fit it around the back of his neck. With a tap of a small button on the device, within his field of vision, an alert appears in front of him:

ATTENTION: NEURO LINKER NOW ACTIVE...

MAIN OS STARTING...

Several seconds later a small chime rings within Gideon's mind and three windows appear in front of him; one displays his schedule for the day; another displays his email and personal messages; and third asks permission to connect to the Global Internet. Without a second thought, Gideon denies his NEURO LINKER access to connect to the global net and connects to the local area network in his family apartment. Several knocks at the door and a familiar voice resonates from the other side.

"Gideon~, are you awake?! You really should be getting up and getting ready for the day."

Christina Aoyama stood outside her older brother's room exclaiming reasons to be awake while she herself was not even dressed yet. Despite this, she stood outside her brother's room in her slightly bigger than necessary pajamas yelling at him to wake up. However, Christina had other plans for her older brother that day.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm awake. I'll make breakfast for us in ten minutes."

With a suspicious grin and a giggle, Christina ran back to her room to get herself dressed.

_He won't know what hit him_, she thought to herself as she began to get dressed. The giggling girl who had been standing outside her brother's bedroom door was nowhere to be seen. I clever, cunning, woman remained. She may only be in junior high school, but a certain game has given her time to mature — time to prove herself.

He knew Christina had been acting differently over the past six months, but he figured she was just going through teenage girl problems. However, for some reason, this day had piqued his interest: it was the first time Christina had woken him up in a long time.

The generally normal boy rose up out of his bed and stretched as he stood up. It had been almost a since his girlfriend sent him the "game" that changed his life completely. A year in this normal body, but in another world it had been decades.

Gideon stretched his arms and legs as he paced beside his bed. Quickly and deftly, Gideon tapped a small envelope icon in the top right of his field of vision and began to type on the virtual keyboard his NeuroLinker provided.

_To: Hatsumi Yukimura_

_From: Gideon Aoyama_

_Subject: regarding extracurriculars_

_Body Content:_

_I have to talk to you when we get to school today._

If Gideon was right about his hunch, his little sister was going to prove to be more trouble than just an average junior high school girl.

ONE YEAR AGO

_Just another day in the boring life of a high school boy_, Gideon thought to himself. The boy stood at about five feet and ten inches tall with a bedhead of dark brown hair. As he looked up at the blue sky above Minato-ku, a green light on the outside of his black NEURO LINKER flashed and a small chime sounded. A small envelope appeared in Gideon's NEURO LINKER desktop and bounced about in place to get the user's attention.

"Ah! A message from Jiro...let's see what he has for me today. He better not be messing around again...today's the first day of the semester after all."

Gideon motioned with his hand and "touched" the bouncing envelope. A text box with Jiro's message inscribed on it popped up to be read by him.

_Morning Gid! I'm running a little late this morning, so go ahead without me!_

Gideon shook his head at the thought of his friend being late once again. As he started his walk to his high school, he thought how boring his high school life was going to be. He had been in the same schools as Jiro since his family moved from America to Japan when he was still very young. As he continued his walk, Gideon took in the many sights around him...that is to say, he was observing the girls who would be attending the same school as he would be. Each girl was just as cute as the last. They smiled, laughed, and joked around with each other; teasing about length of skirts and whether or not the boy they liked in middle school would be attending their new high school.

Gideon sighed, wondering if he would ever get the chance to have a girlfriend before going to university. As if to answer his questions, he thought an angel had appeared in front of him. This was a second year. A girl one year Gideon's senior. The way she carried herself, with an unimaginable amount of self-confidence, and her beauty immediately drew Gideon's gaze (along with every other first year boy walking on the same street). Based off of the loud chatter all around him, Gideon gathered that this was Hatsumi Yukimura, a second year girl and the acting student council president. Contrary to her reputation and striking beauty, her face was rather gloomy and lacking emotion. However, she glanced around her at the gawking students.

_Just another crowd of sheep..._

However, one of these sheep caught her eye. A boy. Longer than average dark brown hair. Green eyes. He isn't full Japanese. She was interested.

"Hey, you, with the green eyes!"

Gideon heard someone shout something about green eyes and turned to where the sound originated from. It couldn't be. Hatsumi Yukimura was standing before him. She was about three inches shorter than Gideon but still held an intense presence all the same. She was staring at him; gazing into his soul with her sparkling brown eyes. Her dark brown hair fell to just below her shoulders and she wore the standard Akihabara Public High School girl's uniform. She wore a shorter skirt than most girls, along with thigh high black socks.

Gideon acknowledged that she was talking to him and decided to roll with the waves of this particular boring morning.

"Ah, good morning. I don't think I know who you are..."

For a moment the girl known as Hatsumi Yukimura stood on the sidewalk speechless. In seconds her face became quite red and her reaction was flustered.

"W-w-what do you mean?! You don't know who I am...w-w-whatever! You'll find out soon enough, first year!"

Too flustered to continue a conversation, the girl raced down the street ahead of fellow students. As she began to be out of sight, each student glared at Gideon as he scratched his head. Confused, Gideon asked a nearby student who the girl really was.

"You moron! That was the student council president! So much for good first impressions!"

In that moment, Gideon felt what could only be described as a black hole form in his stomach. Prepared for his imminent departure from this world, a familiar voice shouted towards Gideon from down the street.

"Yoooo, Gideon!"

Looking up, Gideon could see Jiro Ohtomo running towards him. Jiro was a boy the same height as Gideon, with a similar head of messy black hair and wore the standard AkiHS uniform: black slacks, white shirt with no tie, brought together with a similar black jacket that was generally removed within the school. The one thing that Gideon has noticed about Jiro through the years was his unparalleled kindness. Compared to Jiro, Gideon was very obviously only half Japanese and as a result was bullied periodically throughout childhood. However, the one friend who remained constant was Jiro.

With a deep sigh of relief, Gideon waved to greet his best friend. Finally, Gideon wouldn't be that guy walking to school by himself. He just hoped that Jiro wouldn't form a habit of being late in the morning.

"Jiro, you gotta start getting up a little earlier. You can't leave me to walk to school by myself this year!"

The pair started laughing as they continued towards school. They both hoped there would finally be some excitement in their lives now that they have entered high school. The school itself, Akihabara Public High School, is located on the outskirts of Akihabara, but far enough from the center of the electronics district of Tokyo so that there would be no distractions from studies.

Lucky for the two new first years, they were able to arrive on time. First things first, as it always is in Japan, the changing of shoes. It always seemed troublesome from afar, but when it comes to keeping the school itself clean, this practice was paramount. However, in the past 30 years, while some things have remained the same, with the introduction of certain technologies (i.e. the NEURO LINKER), some things were bound to change. The standards of education had been raised since the introduction of the NEURO LINKER. Since it is first synced with a child just after birth, the parents are able to convey ideas more effectively than ever before — due to this, research has shown, children are now entering their first year of schooling at a level thought to be acquired after elementary school years. Teachers went back to university and university professors became teachers. By high school however, the students often became lazy after years of being force-fed history, mathematics, and science.

"Ah—," Gideon yawn-sighed, "We always have school, homework, club activities…when is it gonna end?"

The two finished putting away their street shoes in the school entrance and moved along to where a rather large crowd of first years were gathered. As they approached the crowd, an alert popped up in the boys' field of vision:

ATTENTION:

PLEASE CONNECT TO SCHOOL LOCAL NETWORK

TO ACCESS SCHOOL-WIDE AR ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONNECT?

A prompt followed the pop-up: a simple yes or no. Since they are students of this school this is completely necessary. Both boys, almost synchronized, tapped the otherwise invisible "YES" button. A small progress bar appeared for approximately two seconds before another pop-up confirmed their connections. In front of them now were several augmented reality lists posted on the wall in front of the crowd, the class lists. Here was the defining moment for this year: class placement was somewhat important to Gideon, but even more so to Jiro. Both boys scanned the lists intently for their names — hopefully finding themselves in the same class as always. To the pair's joy, they were indeed in the same class once again.

Somewhere off in the distance there was some yelling happening. A few loud bangs and a little yelp were more than enough to clue the boys in to who the source of the commotion was: Chiaki Takayama — the third musketeer. By herself, the girl was quite stunning: she was average height, but as one could tell from her legs and slender body, she was lean and extremely agile. These were skills she had acquired through three years of constant volleyball practice in junior high. However, she was not without her cons: she was endlessly clumsy which resulted in a lack of trust from other students and teachers. And somehow, the only place she was able to use that agility was on the volleyball court. To Jiro and Gideon however, she was a good friend. She was someone who would always be there for them if they needed her.

Chiaki finally laid her eyes on the boys from the school entrance and grinned from ear to ear. Gideon sighed and Jiro shook his head, "That girl never changes, man. Every year starts the same way with her crashing and falling as soon as she gets here," Jiro blushed slightly and looked away, "but she's one of us, right?"

Gideon grinned and nodded in agreement. As Chiaki approached them from the entranceway, Hatsumi Yukimura watched the three come together from a distance. Still a bit flustered from her earlier interaction with that first year boy, she felt her face getting warm and began thinking to herself, _Damnit, now's not the time to be getting embarrassed Hatsumi! This is your first year as student council president! Let's do this!_

The student council president took one last glance at the three first years as they laughed amongst themselves. However, this glance was different from her generally cool and collected attitude. Her gaze was hardened — eyes that one only sees from a soldier, someone who had seen countless battles. She shook her head and her usual calm eyes had returned.

Gideon had seen the student council president leaning against a wall in the distance and thought about apologizing. But he didn't want to actually end up being late for his class, and before he really had time to make a decision, she had gathered herself and marched off towards her next destination. He laughed to himself as he saw the girl, just barely one year older than him, walk away so confidently. Apologizing could wait until another time.


End file.
